


Gifts

by Starwinder042653



Series: Bingo Fics [3]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 10:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starwinder042653/pseuds/Starwinder042653
Summary: Ezra discovers an anonymous gift.





	1. An Unexpected Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Mag7 Bingo,  
> Prompt used:  
> Silk

*********************************

I close the door to my room with a sigh. I truly hate dawn patrol. Particularly since I haven't seen my bed since before dawn yesterday.

Tiredly, I turn to toss my hat on the dresser only to stop and stare at my bed, a frown tugging at my lips.

Someone has been in my room!

Sitting square in the middle of my bedspread is a small rectangular item, wrapped in what appears to be soft white leather and tied with a half-inch wide, bright red silk ribbon.

I study the gift, and I'm fairly certain that it is a gift, although I didn't know either who it is from or what the occasion might be, as I slip out of my jacket and hang it up. I continue to contemplate the box as I remove my shoulder holster and sleeve gun rig and lay them on the dresser.

Untying and removing my string tie, I drop it on the dresser beside my guns.

Finally I sit down on the edge of the bed and pick up the package weighing it in my hand. It has a definite heft to it.

It is about nine inches long, six inches wide and three inches deep. The wrapping feels soft and plush, perhaps a rabbit skin with the fur still on, but turned to the inside.

Well, there is only one way to find out what it is.

I tug on one end of the ribbon. Feeling it, I know that I was correct, it is silk.

When I get the wrapping off, I can see that it is indeed a rabbit pelt. It is snowy white and has been trimmed into a rough rectangle with rounded corners. The edges have been turned under and laced down with a ribbon that matches the one that the package was tied with.

I lay the pelt aside for the moment and study the box that had been wrapped in it.

The box is made of two distinctly different types of wood. The outer layer is light colored wood, almost white, carved into an intricate design of interlinking circles. The way that they are carved, if you change your perspective just a bit they change from interlinking circles to flowers. The carving covers the entire box except for the bottom.

The inner wooden sleeve is made of a smooth, dark, near black, wood that can be seen through the open areas in the design of the outer sleeve.

I lift the lid off. It's snug and I have to wiggle it a bit to get it off. Clearly whoever made this lovely box not only did a beautiful job of carving it but also a quality job of putting it together.

The interior is divided in half and lined with red velvet. On one side there are slots for a couple of rings and a half a dozen small divisions for cuff links and such. The other half of the box is open space or would be if it were not stuffed full with something wrapped in tissue paper.

I remove the tissue wrapped item and lay the box aside while I open it. Inside is a pair of bright red, silk sleeve-garters.

I can't help smiling. Red is my favorite color and silk is one of my favorite fabrics. I turn the garters around in my hands noting the design embroidered on them, black aces of spades and clubs, alternating with dark red aces of hearts and diamonds.

Finding out who purchased these should be easy. While the sleeve-garters could be purchased at Mrs. Potters, they would not have been embroidered. There are only a couple of women in town who could have done this type of fancy stitching. 

Smiling to myself I pick up the rabbit skin and idly rub it against my cheek. It is incredibly soft.

There is only one person that I know who can tan a hide this beautifully and I'm sure that I saw a snow-white rabbit pelt hanging on a frame beside Mister Tanner's wagon just last week.

I lay the pelt and the garters aside and pick the box back up, turning it over in my hands, studying the construction.

On the other hand I have never seen Mister Tanner doing any carving. That is Mister Larabee's hobby. And yet, I've never seen Mister Larabee do anything this intricate or this smooth. 

The box is absolutely exquisite.

This had to have taken a great deal of patience and patience is not something that Mister Larabee is known for. His whittling is usually confined to small animals that he hands off to whatever child happens to be nearby when he completes it.

Whittling…. Mister Larabee whittles and this box is carved. There *is* a difference.

This box is most definitely not rough or cobbled together. Both the inner sleeve and the outer one have been carved from a single piece of wood. Then the inner sleeve has been press-fitted into the outer carved one. There is not a single seam visible in the entire box.

No, Mister Larabee would have never had the patience for this and the fact that no one has ever seen Mister Tanner doing any carving does not mean that he cannot carve. The man spends enough time out wandering in the wilderness to have carved a dozen boxes in the past two years.

Rising I take the box and the pelt over to the dresser. Pushing my guns aside I lay the pelt out in the center of the dresser top. I set the box in the center of the pelt, laying the top aside for the moment.

Taking off my rings I slip them into the slots made for them. My cuff links follow, going into one of the divided compartments. My pocket watch and fob go into the large compartment along with my penknife and all the loose change from my pockets.

I smile as I put the lid back on the box.

Perhaps I'll forgo my jacket tonight when I go down to play poker. The shoulder rig and the Remington should be sufficient armament for one night.

I'll wear my whitest shirt. The red sleeve garters should stand out perfectly against it.

In fact, I pick up the ribbon that the package had been tied with and slip it around my neck tying it like a string tie.

I chuckle.

That should get a reaction. 

Whoever left the gift might expect me to wear the sleeve garters but probably won't expect me to use the ribbon for a string tie. 

I remove the ribbon and lay it with the sleeve-garters before finishing undressing and climbing into bed.

I'm still smiling when I fall asleep.

 

The End.


	2. A Reciprocal Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vin gets a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Mag7Bingo,  
> Prompt used:  
> Spyglass,

Sequel to An Unexpected Gift

**********************************

I know I give myself away. 

I seen Ez sashaying down the boardwalk towards me an' saw that he weren't wearing his jacket, just his pants, boots, guns, hat and a shirt so white it was damned near blindin'. 

I checked to see if he was wearing the sleeve-garters that I picked out for him.

I's damned pleased to see he was but then I seen that red silk ribbon tied around Ez's neck like a tie and it startled me. 

Weren't expecting that. 

The way Ez smiled and reached up to touch the ribbon made it damned clear that he was on ta me. But it's been over a week now, since then and despite Ez wearing them garters and that red silk string fer a tie ever damned day, he ain't said word one.

I'm startin' ta wonder if I misread how pleased Ezra seemed with'em.

I turn down the alley where my wagon is and stalk over to it. I pull down the tailgate and freeze.

Laying just inside the wagon, where it weren't visible 'til I lowered the tailgate is a fabric wrapped bundle.

Actually, there's two fabric wrapped bundles. One's a cylinder and the other'n's flat. The cylinder's wrapped in a dark green bandanna. The flat one is wrapped in a bright red one. They're tied together by a red silk ribbon, looks just like the one that Ez is wearing fer a tie.

I feel all the tension and worry drain outta me. Ez got me a gift. Reckon that means Ez *is* pleased with his'n. It must'a've just took him some time to get it ready.

I pick up the package, glancing around to make sure I'm alone. 

A couple of drunk cowboys pass the end of the alley and I frown. Don't wanna be interrupted while I's openin' my present.

I bob my head without really thinkin' about it as I make up my mind. Tucking my present inside my capote, I close up the tailgate of my wagon. I'll ride out of town, know a quiet place where body'll bother me. I'll open this there.

An hour later I'm sitting on my bedroll on a bluff overlooking the river. I lay the package down in front of me an' untie the ribbon, laying it aside.

I unwrap the cylinder first, folding the green and black bandanna and laying it aside. 

I smile when I see what it is. Ez must have ordered it special, cause I know fer a fact that Mrs. Potter didn't have one in stock. I asked her about a case for my spyglass a while back. She said she'd have ta order one. 

This'n's made of wood covered with leather and lined with soft material to keep from scratching the lens. It has a long leather strap so's I can wear it over my shoulder or around my waist, keeping my spyglass close at hand instead of in my saddlebags the way I usually do.

I lay it aside. I'll put my spyglass in it 'fore I return to town.

I pick up the other package and turn it over in my hands. It's flat and about nine inches one way and twelve the other and maybe a inch thick with the wrapping. After a moment I unwrap the red bandanna from it and lay it with the green one. It looks like a picture portfolio that travelin' photographer tried to sell me ta go with the picture that the guys talked me into having made since they's all havin' theirs made, even Chris.

It's made of stiff leather an' it's got a tie to keep it closed.

I open it and stare at what's inside in shock. 

In the left-hand frame's a hand drawed sketch a' me, only it looks way handsomer than I figure I am. In the right-hand frame's a piece of paper with writin' on it. Takes me a few minutes to work out that it's a copy a' the poem I wrote for Mrs. Travis' poetry contest.

The borders of the frame've been painted white and they got the same design on them that I carved inta the box I made fer Ez. The circles are painted in different colors, red, blue, green and black.

It mustta took most a' the week fer Ez to draw the picture, print the poem in that fancy writin' and paint the design on the frame. 

Reckon that means Ez cares 'nough to take the time ta make his gift ta me as personal as I made my gift ta him.

I brush my fingertips across the picture a' me. I smile as I think about what I'm gonna do now that I know that Ez likes me too.

The End


End file.
